Monthly Archives: August 2017

H-2A rocket grounded by problem in propulsion system … – Spaceflight Now

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The H-2A rocket topped with the Michibiki 3 navigation satellite awaits liftoff from a launch pad at the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. Credit: JAXA

A Japanese launch crew filled an H-2A rocket with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants in time for a planned liftoff Saturday with a geostationary navigation satellite, but a problem inside the launchers propulsion system prompted officials to postpone the mission.

Officials announced a hold less than two hours before the 174-foot-tall (53-meter) H-2A rocket was set to blast off at 0440 GMT (12:40 a.m. EDT; 1:40 p.m. Japan Standard Time). The H-2A launch team called off the launch attempt several hours later, after the opening of an unusually-long launch window stretching nearly nine hours long.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the launch was scrubbed to ensure the readiness of the H-2A rockets propulsion systems. Officials said in a press conference Saturday that engineers were studying possible leak in the rockets helium pressurization system.

The H-2A rocket was still on its launch pad as the sun rose Sunday at theTanegashima Space Center, a spaceport overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the coast of southern Japan.

Fitted with four solid-fueled boosters and a 16.7-foot (5.1-meter) diameter payload shroud, the souped-up H-2A rocket is set to make its 35th flight, and its fourth launch this year.

The Michibiki 3 navigation craft mounted atop the H-2A rocket will join two similar satellites already in orbit designed to aid security forces and civilians users in Japan find their position. With the addition of a fourth navigation craft later this year, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System will supplement positioning services over Japan provided by the U.S. militarys Global Positioning System satellites.

The GPS satellites circle Earth in orbits 12,550 miles (20,200 kilometers) above Earth. Although there are at least 30 operational GPS spacecraft, only a small fraction of the fleet is visible from a single point on Earth at one time.

It takes four GPS satellites to calculate a precise position on Earth, but a Michibiki satellite broadcasting the same four L-band signals will give a receiver an estimate if there are not enough GPS satellites visible, or it can help produce a more accurate position calculation even with full GPS service.

The navigation aids are particularly useful in regions like central Tokyo and other urban centers, where high-rise buildings can block GPS signals from satellites near the horizon. Travelers in rugged terrain can also benefit from the additional coverage, where mountains and steep ridges can interrupt satellite signals.

The two Michibiki satellites launched to date fly in inclined orbits, tracing figure-eight patterns as they oscillate north and south of the equator, while their longitudinal, or east-west, position remains over the Asia-Pacific at an average altitude of around 22,300 miles (nearly 35,800 kilometers) above Earth.

Michibiki 3 will head into an orbit at the same altitude, but will eventually settle into a parking slot over the equator, where it will remain in a fixed geostationary position in the sky.

The fourth in the current series of Japanese navigation satellites will go up later this year on another H-2A rocket, taking up a post in an inclined high-altitude orbit like the first two.

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H-2A rocket grounded by problem in propulsion system ... - Spaceflight Now

Large, distant comets more common than previously thought – SpaceFlight Insider

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Ocean McIntyre

August 13th, 2017

An artists rendering of the NASAs WISE mission, renamed NEOWISE in 2013, observing comets and other deep space objects. Image Credit: NASA

Data from NASAs Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission has shown that large, distant comets are more common than previously thought. This is according to research published in the Astronomical Journal. These long-period comets originate from the distant Oort Cloud, and the information provided by the NASAs spacecraft is contributing to a better understanding of how common these icy worldlets might be.

While most people are likely familiar with icy objects such famous comets as Halley and Shoemaker-Levy 9, the latter of which broke up and impacted the gas giant Jupiter in July 1994. These, along with nearly all of those most of us have heard about (or seen) are from the family of short-period comets. Short-period refers to the length and distance of the period, or the time it takes to make one full orbit, of the object.

Short-period comets take less than 200 years to make a full orbit around the Sun. These are generally separated into two families: Jupiter familyand inclined-period comets. Jupiter family comets, of which Shoemaker-Levy 9 was one, have orbital periods of less than 20 years. Inclined-period comets, like Halleys Comet, have orbital periods between 20 and 200 years in length.

This illustration shows how scientists used data from NASAs WISE spacecraft to determine the nucleus sizes of comets. They subtracted a model of how dust and gas behave in comets in order to obtain the core size. Image and Caption Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

A short-period comet tends to orbit within the ecliptic the plane of space where the planets orbit around the Sun. This is likely due to where they originate from, which is suspected to be the Kuiper Belt the icy band of objects at the edge of the Solar System where Pluto, the majority of dwarf planets, and about a thousand other Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) roam. The Kuiper Belt exists at a distance of some 2.7 billion to 5.1 billion miles (4.4 billion to 8.2 billion kilometers).

Unlike short-period comets, long-period comets originate from much further away in the Oort Cloud, an area of the Solar System believed to be a vast a spherical bubble of icy material thought to extend approximately 186 billion miles (300 billion kilometers) out to as far as 4.45 trillion miles (7.5 trillion kilometers). Objects originating from this area have periods greater than 200 years, with some taking thousand or even millions of years to make a single orbit.

In the paper published about long-period comets, researchers looked at data from theWISEmission that did a full sky survey from 2009 to 2011. Data from an eight-month span of time was reviewed and a total of 95 Jupiter family comets along with 56 long-period comets were identified.

Our study is a rare look at objects perturbed out of the Oort Cloud, said Amy Mainzer, study co-author based at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and principal investigator of the NEOWISE mission. They are the most pristine examples of what the Solar System was like when it formed.

The study also found that there were seven times more long-period comets measuring at least 0.6 miles (1.0 kilometer) across than previously predicted, with the average width measuring 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers), about twice as large as the average diameter of Jupiter family and inclined-period comets. Additionally, over that eight month period, the number of long-period comets that passed by the Sun was 35 times more than previously anticipated.

The suspected reasons for the differences in the size between Jupiter family comets and long-period comets are believed to be due to two main possibilities; the first being that because Jupiter family comets make far more frequent trips nearer to the Sun, they are subjected to more sublimation (ice changing directly to a gas) and thus loss of total mass.

Another possible cause for the size difference is due to evolutionary differences. Because the Oort Cloud is so large, and the objects within it are so widely distributed, the likelihood of objects impacting one another is reduced, giving bodies in this area a better chance of keeping their large sizes rather than suffering impacts that could break them down.

When scientists reviewed the movement of these bodies, they found that there was an inclination (the angle to the ecliptic plane that the planets are aligned on) clustering at 110 degrees with an average perihelion (closest approach to the Sun in its elliptical orbit) of 2.9 astronomical units (270 million miles / 434 million kilometers), putting their closest approach to the Sun at just past the orbit of the dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. This could indicate that there were larger bodies that broke up over time leaving behind these icy objects.

As if being big and coming at us from all different angles wasnt bad enough, comets are fast really fast.

Comets travel much faster than asteroids, and some of them are very big, Mainzer said. Studies like this will help us define what kind of hazard long-period comets may pose.

NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratorymanaged and operated WISE for NASAs Science Mission Directorate located in Washington. The NEOWISE project is funded by the Near Earth Object Observation Program, now part of NASAs Planetary Defense Coordination Office. The spacecraft was put into hibernation mode in 2011 after twice scanned the entire sky, thereby completing its main objectives. In September 2013, WISE was reactivated, renamed NEOWISE and assigned a new mission to assist NASAs efforts to identify potentially hazardous near-Earth objects.

Video courtesy of NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Tagged: Comets NASA NEOWISE The Range WISE

A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, Ocean McIntyre's writing is focused primarily on science (STEM and STEAM) education and public outreach. McIntyre is a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador as well as holding memberships with The Planetary Society, Los Angeles Astronomical Society, and is a founding member of SafePlaceForSpace.org. McIntyre is currently studying astrophysics and planetary science with additional interests in astrobiology, cosmology and directed energy propulsion technology. With SpaceFlight Insider seeking to expand the amount of science articles it produces, McIntyre was a welcomed addition to our growing team.

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Large, distant comets more common than previously thought - SpaceFlight Insider

A Redhead Emoji Might Finally Be On The Way & People Are Losing Their Minds – Gears Of Biz

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Less than two percent of the population has red hair, which seems weird because I know so many amazing redheads. As a result, redheads dont have their own emoji, which seems pretty unfair but luckily, that may be about to change. It was announced on Twitter that a redhead emoji may be slated for release in June 2018. The blog How To Be A Redhead tweeted the news that the new redhead emojis should be here in less than a year. A press release from the Emoji Subcommittee at Unicode (yes, this is a real thing) confirmed that the redhead emoji is on the schedule, though it does still need to be approved at the subcommittees fourth-quarter meeting.

It seems like redheads have waited far too long to finally be recognized in this universal way, especially considering all of the special things about redheads, like their ability to make their own vitamin D. Can anyone else do that? In a January post, How To Be A Redhead wrote, The lack of a redhead emoji has been the most frequent complaint from Emojipedia users in the past three months (go redheads!). With one to two per cent of the population born with red hair, that means as many as 138,000,000 iPhones are crying out for a ginger-inclusive update. Thats a lot of people! These days, emojis are the only way to describe your feelings, and a whole demographic of people are missing out.

NEWS: Redhead emojis are coming in June 2018! https://t.co/Sex95bjPF1 pic.twitter.com/nesLSDlMeC

The FOMO experienced by redheads was so prevalent that some people in Scotland even started a petition for their right to be represented through their own emoji. In Scotland, Ireland and Wales, redheads make up 10 percent of the population, Telegraph reported, and the lack of emoji excludes a large number of the population from being able to express themselves digitally.

AT LONG LAST MY LONG EMOJI DROUGHT IS COMING TO A MIDDLE https://t.co/17rZ2BvKv1

Apple already has six different skin tones, and over a dozen hair styles for its characters but has faced criticism on social media for not introducing a redhead, Jamie Johnson wrote.

Omg there finally might be a redhead emoji!!!!! pic.twitter.com/0QHpx8o4aE

Lets hope the wait is almost over for these people who are also more likely to be left handed, and never go grey.

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A Redhead Emoji Might Finally Be On The Way & People Are Losing Their Minds - Gears Of Biz

Lori Loughlin hits 2017 Teen Choice Awards red carpet with her lookalike daughters – AOL

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Aol.com Editors

Aug 13th 2017 7:40PM

They got it from their momma!

Lori Loughlin hit the 2017 Teen Choice Awards red carpet with the two best dates of all -- her daughters! The "Fuller House" star and her two lookalike daughters, Olivia and Isabella, turned heads on the red carpet in their most summery ensembles.

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Lori Loughlin hits 2017 Teen Choice Awards red carpet with her daughters

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LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: (L-R) Isabella Giannulli, Lori Loughlin and Olivia Giannulli attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Lori Loughlin attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: (L-R) Isabella Giannulli, Lori Loughlin and Olivia Giannulli attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: (L-R) Isabella Giannulli, Lori Loughlin and Olivia Giannulli attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Lori Loughlin attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

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The 53-year-old actress showed off her toned figure in a sophisticated, see-through ensemble that she paired with some pointy pumps of a similar hue. She wore her medium-length brunette tresses in waves while keeping her makeup to a minimum.

Meanwhile, Olivia, who has skyrocketed to fame on YouTube, looked absolutely glowing in a pastel pink strapless dress that hit just above her knees. Isabella opted for a more vibrant floral frock that she paired with some chunky black heels. The trio clearly perfected their red carpet poses as they looked absolutely gorgeous in each and every single photo they took. The cameras clearly love them!

A number of high-profile stars also walked the red carpet, including "Spider-Man: Homecoming" actress Zendaya and "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown. Check out the slideshow below for all the red carpet arrivals of the night:

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Teen Choice Awards 2017: Red carpet arrivals

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LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Happy the Dog (L) and Vanessa Hudgens attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Amy Purdy attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Gigi Gorgeous attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Bella Thorne attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Cat Deeley attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Victoria Justice attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Candace Cameron-Bure attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Melissa Benoist attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Naya Rivera attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Craig Robinson attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Paris Jackson attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Chloe Kim attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Zara Larsson attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Vanessa Hudgens attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Katie Stevens attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Christi Zook Lukasiak attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Iris Apatow (L) and Judd Apatow attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Katherine Langford attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Isabela Moner attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Madelaine Petsch attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Rita Ora attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Mackenzie Hancsicsak attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Ne-Yo attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Grace VanderWaal attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Singer Ryan Destiny attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Janel Parrish attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Singer Bebe Rexha attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Millie Bobby Brown attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Vanessa Hudgens attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Kaitlin Olson attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Patrick Starrr attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Lucy Hale attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: (L-R) Isabella Giannulli, Lori Loughlin and Olivia Giannulli attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Thomas Barbusca attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Parker Bates attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Lil Yachty (C) and guests attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Georgie Flores attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Hudson Yang attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Keith Powers attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: (L-R) Emery Kelly, Liam Attridge and Ricky Garcia of Forever in Your Mind attend the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Sydney Sierota of Echosmith attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Kendra Oyesanya attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Jade Chynoweth attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Danielle Cohn attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Jade Chynoweth attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Zendaya attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Singer Ne-Yo attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Ariela Barer attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Lily Marston attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Aisha Dee attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Peyton List attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Niki Koss attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Gabi DeMartino attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Colleen Ballinger attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Kendall Vertes attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Singer Carson Lueders attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Pepi Sonuga attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Joslyn Davis attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Singer Bea Miller attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Perrey Reeves attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Logan Paul attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Singer Erika Costell attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Katherine McNamara attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Isaiah Mustafa attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Izabella Alvarez attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Alyssa Jirrels attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Fashion blogger Mia Stammer attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 13: Actor Carter Jenkins attends the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Lori Loughlin hits 2017 Teen Choice Awards red carpet with her lookalike daughters - AOL

SpaceX, NASA, and HP Are Sending a Supercomputer to the ISS – Futurism

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The Importance of 30 Minutes

The International Space Station is nearly twenty years old. During almost two decades in low-Earth orbit, the floating laboratory has offered the opportunity to test many a hypothesis in microgravity.

Often, these experiments have to do with biology and biochemistry. Take for instance studying the effects of space radiation on mammalian reproduction, or flatworm regeneration in microgravity. However, hardware also has a place in the lab.

The current computers on the ISS the ones that operate the station run on a microprocessor first introduced in 1985. That may not sound like enough to power the almost five-mile-long station however, these computers are supported by 24/7 monitoring from the ground by even more powerful computers.

The system does the job, for now. It doesnt take long for information to travel from the ISS to the ground. However, when humans eventually get to the Red Planet, communicating between Mars and Earth will result in a bit of a delay. No, not quite a la The Martian. More like 30 minutes each way.

This may not sound like much, but, as Alain Andreoli, Hewlett-Packard Enterprises (HPE) senior vice president of its data center infrastructure group explained in a blog post:

A long communication lag would make any on-the-ground exploration challenging and potentially dangerous if astronauts are met with any mission critical scenarios that theyre not able to solve themselves.

Essentially, half an hour could cost someone their life.

So why arent scientists just sending better computersto space? Well, space travel is pretty rough on technology, and NASA has high demands. Computers aboard the ISS need to withstand space-related problems such as radiation, solar flares, subatomic particles, micrometeoroids, unstable electrical power, irregular cooling, explained Andreoli. This hardening process results in additional costs and unnecessary bulk.

What if traditional, off-the-shelf computer components could be made to withstand the rigors of space? NASA and HPE are working together to find out. Monday, a SpaceX rocket will launch a supercomputer called the Spaceborne Computer to the ISS for a year-long experiment (coincidently, the amount of time it would take humans to get to Mars).

The computer has not been hardened for the radiation environment on the space station in the traditional sense. Instead, its been software hardened. The goal is to better understand how space will degrade the performance of an off-the-shelf computer. Meanwhile, back on Earth, an identical model will run in a lab as a control.

The computer is only about the size of two pizza boxes stuck together. It has a special water-cooled enclosure as well as custom software that can automatically adjust for environmentally-induced computer errors. It may not be the most powerful computer on the market, but with its 1 teraflop computing speed, itll be the most powerful computer ever sent into space.

This goes along with the space stations mission to facilitate exploration beyond low Earth orbit, Mark Fernandez, HPEs leading payload engineer for the project, toldArs Technica. If this experiment works, it opens up a universe of possibility for high performance computing in space.

Not only will this result in better computers aboard the ISS and other NASA crafts that can send humans farther into space, but it will also help with experiments on the ISS. Fernandez explains that scientists could use an on-board supercomputer for data processing, rather than sending the data back to Earth.

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SpaceX, NASA, and HP Are Sending a Supercomputer to the ISS - Futurism

NASA is asking the public for a message to beam 12 billion miles into space – Chron.com

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By Fernando Ramirez, Chron.com / Houston Chronicle

Photo: Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL Via Getty Images

Best messages to Voyager 1

Nasa is asking the public's help in crafting an uplifting message to send to Voyager 1.

Click through to see the best submissions so far.

Best messages to Voyager 1

Nasa is asking the public's help in crafting an uplifting message to send to Voyager 1.

Click through to see the best submissions so far.

@McCrypto

https://twitter.com/McCrypto/status/893144167806894085

@McCrypto

https://twitter.com/McCrypto/status/893144167806894085

Click through to see the evolution of NASA's space suits

Click through to see the evolution of NASA's space suits

Mercury space suit

Years active: 1959 through early 1970s

Mercury space suit

Years active: 1959 through early 1970s

Mercury space suit

Years active: 1959 through early 1970s

Mercury space suit

Years active: 1959 through early 1970s

Gemini space suits

Years active: 1960s

Gemini space suits

Years active: 1960s

Gemini space suits

Years active:1960s

Gemini space suits

Years active:1960s

Gemini space suits

Years active:1960s

Gemini space suits

Years active:1960s

Apollo space suits

Years active: 1968-1975

Apollo space suits

Years active: 1968-1975

Apollo space suits

Years active:1968-1975

Apollo space suits

Years active:1968-1975

Apollo space suits

Years active:1968-1975

Apollo space suits

Years active:1968-1975

Apollo space suits

Years active:1968-1975

Apollo space suits

Years active:1968-1975

Skylab space suits

Years active:early 1970s

Skylab space suits

Years active:early 1970s

Skylab space suits

Years active:early 1970s

Skylab space suits

Years active:early 1970s

Space Shuttle ejection escape suit

Years active: 1981-1982

Space Shuttle ejection escape suit

Years active: 1981-1982

Launch Entry Suit

Years active:1988-1994

Launch Entry Suit

Years active:1988-1994

Launch Entry Suit

Years active:1988-1994

Launch Entry Suit

Years active:1988-1994

Advanced Crew Escape Suit

Years active: 1990s

Advanced Crew Escape Suit

Years active: 1990s

Advanced Crew Escape Suit

Years active: 1990s

Advanced Crew Escape Suit

Years active: 1990s

Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Years active: 1982- present

Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Years active: 1982- present

Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Years active:1982- present

Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Years active:1982- present

Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Years active:1982- present

Extravehicular Mobility Unit

Years active:1982- present

NASA is asking the public for a message to beam 12 billion miles into space

Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object from Earth is currently coasting 12.9 billion from home.

To commemorate its launch nearly 40 years ago, NASA is asking the public's help in crafting a 60-character message to beam to humanity's most daring explorer.

JOB HUNT:NASA replies to 4th grader's job app calling himself 'Guardian of the Galaxy'

Anyone can post their submission on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+ or Tumblr using the hashtag "#MessageToVoyager."

NASA's only requirement is that the message be "uplifting." The space agency plans to send the winner's words on Sept. 5, 2017, the 40th anniversary of Voyager 1's launch.

Click through above to see some of the best submissions so far.

Follow this link:

NASA is asking the public for a message to beam 12 billion miles into space - Chron.com

How NASA’s hugest telescope ever could seek out life on a nearby exoplanet – SYFY WIRE (blog)

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Astronomers have had a telescopic eye on exoplanet Proxima Centauri B since last year, but they may soon get an unprecedented closeup of it with NASAs upcoming monster scope.

Proxima B is a rocky Earth-size planet that orbits the star Proxima Centauri. What has really ignited curiosity about it is that it resides in the habitable zone of its star (dont say Aliens! yet), which could mean liquid water and even life if atmospheric and environmental conditions align. Because Proxima B is only 4.5 light-years away, its actually not impossible to send a space telescope over there. The one NASA has in mind is huge. So huge that Hubble better watch out.

NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), aka its premier observatory of the next decade, boasts a mirror thrice the size of Hubbles and has earned bragging rights for being the most enormous and powerful observatory designed to float around in space (goes to show how "micro" microgravity really is). It will orbit the sun to examine planetary heat emissions, which eliminates the possibility of interference from Earths atmosphere. The space agency has high expectations for it to beam back everything from hi-res images of distant planets to insights about how stars, planets, and galaxies emerged and evolved billions and billions of years ago.

Until now, nothing has been able to zoom in close enough to Promixa B to tell if it even has an atmosphere, and if so, whether its chemical composition could support life as we know it. This wont exactly be easy even with such advanced equipment. Proxima Centauri is much brighter than its satellite, whose faintness could prove a problem when probing its atmosphere (if it has one). Astronomers propose searching for carbon dioxide as a possible lead to carbon-based life-forms. Never mind what Stephen Hawking has to say about that.

CO2 doesnt even mean the existence of something that could survive on Earth. Our planet is crawling with carbon-based life, and yet there are only traces of the gas among the dominant nitrogen and oxygen of the atmosphere. Ironically enough, its common in the killer atmosphere of Venus and on Mars, which only has a ghost of an atmosphere.

JWST will revolutionize how we observe Proxima B and many other celestial objects and phenomena. This is what you get with an instrument that has been optimized to pick up infrared wavelengths invisible to the naked eyeand most other telescopes.

Other telescopes are not able to do this, said University of Leiden astronomy researcher Ignas Snellan, lead author of a study recently published in the Astrophysical Journal. Hubble is too small and works in the wrong wavelength range. Current ground-based telescopes cannot touch the mid-infrared because of very high thermal backgrounds, and are in a not enough stable environment, in contrast to JWST, which operates from space.

Whether there is life on Proxima B might not even be a question that the JWST can answer. If it still remains a mystery within the next decade or so, the European Extremely Large Telescope that is currently being built will at least be able to detect oxygen, a more reliable biosignature.

Oxygen still doesnt mean aliens. Well just have to wait and see what observations these massive telescopes transmit to Earth.

(via Seeker)

The rest is here:

How NASA's hugest telescope ever could seek out life on a nearby exoplanet - SYFY WIRE (blog)

NASA research plane will fly from Seattle for eclipse – The Register-Guard

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SEATTLE A NASA research plane carrying the agencys science director will fly from Boeing Field in Seattle on Aug. 21. to capture the first video of the total solar eclipse.

The video will be part of a livestream on NASA TV that tracks the eclipse along its 2,500-mile path from Oregon to South Carolina, The Seattle Times reported.

NASA officials, including science director Thomas Zurbuchen, will discuss the eclipse and answer questions from the public at The Museum of Flight. The museum will also host a public viewing of the partial eclipse that will be visible in Seattle, with free eclipse glasses for the first 1,000 visitors.

Museum spokesman Ted Huetter said Seattle was selected for the mission because of its location and the opportunity to collaborate on public outreach with the Museum of Flight, which sits right on Boeing Field.

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NASA research plane will fly from Seattle for eclipse - The Register-Guard

NASA and SpaceX to Launch Massive Amount of Research to ISS Monday – Inverse

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On Monday, NASA and SpaceX will partner up once again to launch a Dragon spacecraft to the ISS. This time around, the Dragon will be carrying over 6,400 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware to re-up the ISS. It will be the NASAs 12th commercial resupply services mission dubbed CRS-12 accordingly.

During a NASA press conference on Sunday, Josh Finch of NASA Communications said that at this point there was a 30 percent chance of launch complications due to weather. But if all goes well, following the Dragons launch towards the ISS, a SpaceX Falcon 9 thats charged with carrying it towards orbit will make its way back to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Following a two day journey, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer will use a 57-foot-long robotic arm aboard the ISS to grab the Dragon and secure it to the bottom of the Harmony module, which all sounds like an incredible thing to witness.

The payload capability of the CRS-12 mission is impressive, and shows how well the commercial partnership with with SpaceX is turning out for NASa. It sets a new bar for the amount of research we can get on a flight, said ISS deputy program manager Dan Hartman.

Although the research supplies being brought to the ISS pose exciting opportunities for discovery, Pete Hasbrook, associate program scientist for the ISS said that maybe most importantly, [the Dragon will be] bringing experiments home.

Although he didnt elaborate as to what would would be on board, he said there would be around 2,600 pounds of research coming home. There are currently around 250 experiments being conducted aboard the ISS in various feilds, from biology labs to observations of Earths weather systems from above. Some experiments are being operated autonomously from the ground. In some cases the crew are even part of the research, added Hasbrook.

Over four weeks, crew members will unload the Dragon and then re-load it with experiments that have carefully been timed to arrive on Earth and straight into the hands of scientists. Hartman said he didnt think it would take the crew long to get the Dragon open and unloaded. I think the crew is aware that there are some frozen treats on this mission so I wouldnt be surprised if they work long and hard.

When asked by a reporter about NASAs transition away from manning the ISS, and the organizations step back in its role in the space sciences, Hartman took the familiarly retiring tone weve been hearing from NASA over the past few years. From his perspective, it seems that in five to 10 years, the majority of space science could likely be in the private sectors hands. We plan to leave it to the commercial markets to do that, he said, explaining, It is kind of like handing over the keys.

The Falcon 9 liftoff on Monday is targeted for approximately 12:31 p.m.

Following the Dragons exit from the ISS in about four weeks its estimated time return is September 17 the spacecraft will land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. It will then be retrieved, along with a treasure trove of space experiments.

Read more:

NASA and SpaceX to Launch Massive Amount of Research to ISS Monday - Inverse

NASA research plane ‘kicking off the show’ during total eclipse – Asheboro Courier Tribune

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By Sandi Doughton The Seattle Times (TNS)

SEATTLE A NASA research plane, with the agencys science director onboard, will fly out of Boeing Field in Seattle on Aug. 21, to capture the first video of the total solar eclipse as it sweeps ashore at the Oregon coast.

Were kicking off the show, said Leslie Williams, spokeswoman for NASAs Armstrong Flight Research Center in Southern California, where the plane is based. The video will be part of a livestream on NASA TV that tracks the eclipse along its 2,500-mile path from Oregon to South Carolina.

NASA officials, including science director Thomas Zurbuchen, will discuss the eclipse and answer questions from the public at The Museum of Flight. The museum will also host a public viewing of the partial eclipse that will be visible in Seattle, with free eclipse glasses for the first 1,000 visitors.

Seattle was selected for the mission because of its location and the opportunity to collaborate on public outreach with the Museum of Flight, which sits right on Boeing Field, said Ted Huetter, the museums public-relations manager.

We have a parking spot right next to our fence, he said.

The NASA Gulfstream III, a large corporate jet modified for science, is part of a constellation of aircraft and satellites and an army of professional and citizen scientists that will be studying the first total solar eclipse in 99 years to cross the country from coast to coast.

The jet will land in Seattle around noon on Aug. 20. On eclipse day, it will take off early and fly to Lincoln City, Ore., said pilot Troy Asher.

There, the aircraft will repeatedly fly a north-south loop, giving camera operators a front-row view as the moon blocks the sun and the shadow begins to race across the continent. To improve video clarity, crews replaced two of the planes windows with optical-quality glass, Asher said.

Shooting out of the windows, the videographers and photographers will document the eclipse from beginning to totality in that location. They will be able to see it develop, from fingernail sliver to fully covered, Asher said.

In Lincoln City, the eclipse will start at 9:04 a.m. Totality will begin at 10:16 a.m. and last just under two minutes.

While the videographers are at work, Zurbuchen will be operating a handheld spectrometer to analyze the suns chromosphere and corona the wispy, outer atmosphere that is only visible during a total eclipse.

Flying at 25,000 feet, the jet should be well above any clouds. If necessary, it can climb as high as 45,000 feet, Asher said.

But the plane wont be able to chase the eclipse across the country because its not fast enough. The moons shadow will be zipping eastward at more than 2,400 mph, Asher pointed out.

At the Museum of Flight, staff and NASA officials will guide visitors through a free public viewing event on the lawn from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Aug. 21. The eclipse will not reach totality in Seattle, but about 92 percent of the suns surface will be covered by the moon.

The partial eclipse will start in Seattle at 9:09 a.m., reach its maximum extent at 10:21 a.m. and be over by 11:39 a.m.

Paid visitors will be able to watch NASAs live video of the total eclipse in the museum auditorium. After the plane returns to Boeing Field at around 12:30 p.m., Zurbuchen will also be available to answer questions.

Its unsafe to watch any portion of the partial eclipse without eclipse glasses or a pinhole projector. The only time its OK to look directly at the sun without eye protection is during the brief period of totality, when the sun is completely blocked by the moon. But totality will only occur in a narrow swath that stretches from Oregon to South Carolina.

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NASA research plane 'kicking off the show' during total eclipse - Asheboro Courier Tribune

NASA reminds public to use ISO-certified eclipse glasses for safe viewing – FOX21News.com

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. Your Ray-Bans unfortunately wont be enough to view the total solar eclipse.

If you plan on watching the upcoming total solar eclipse, youll want glasses that are ISO certified.

NASA recommends only using brands approved by the American Astronomical Society.

>> Click here to view a list of vendors selling NASA-approved viewing glasses.

Doctors say that watching the phenomenon without proper protection can cause serious eye damage or even blindness.

If you look up directly, even if theres just a sliver of the sun, the light can go into the back of your eye and burn a hole in whats called the macula. The retina is the back of the eye. Theres an optic nerve back there. Off to the side is the macula. So when you look at a period on a piece of paper, that central part of the macula is looking right at that dot. Thats your exact central fixation spot. Thats the spot that gets burnt out from an eclipse if youre not protected properly, said Dr. Richard Gersh with Visionworks.

Experts say you should not try to watch the eclipse with the naked eye, and that regular sunglasses do not provide enough protection.

Read more on how to safely view the solar eclipse here.

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NASA reminds public to use ISO-certified eclipse glasses for safe viewing - FOX21News.com

New Rapid Zika Virus Blood Test Uses Nanotechnology – ReliaWire

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A test which rapidly detects the presence of Zika virus in blood has been developed by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis.

Current Zika testing means a blood sample needs to be refrigerated and shipped to a medical center or laboratory, delaying diagnosis and possible treatment. The new technology has not yet been produced for use in medical situations, but the tests results can be determined in minutes.

Not only that, but the materials required for the test do not require refrigeration and may be applicable in testing for other emerging infectious diseases.

One of the reasons such a test is needed, researchers say, is that often people infected with Zika dont know theyre infected. Even though symptoms include fever, joint pain, muscle pain and rash, many people dont feel ill after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Testing is especially vital for pregnant women because Zika infection can cause congenital Zika syndrome, which contributes to several neurologic problems in the fetus or newborn infant.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine and the School of Engineering & Applied Science tested blood samples taken from four people who had been infected with Zika virus and compared it to blood from five people known not to have the virus.

Blood from Zika-infected patients tested positive, but blood from Zika-negative controls did not. The assay produced no false-positive results.

Zika infection is often either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. The most effective way to diagnose the disease is not to wait for people to develop symptoms but to do population screening,

said Evan D. Kharasch, MD, PhD, who is one of the studys three senior investigators. The strategy requires inexpensive, easy-to-use and easy-to-transport tests.

Qisheng Jiang (left) works with senior author Jerry Morrissey, PhD. Credit: James Byard

Kharasch collaborated with Srikanth Singamaneni, PhD, an associate professor of mechanical engineering & materials science, and Jeremiah J. Morrissey, PhD, a research professor of anesthesiology, to create the test. It uses gold nanorods mounted on paper to detect Zika infection within a few minutes.

If an assay requires electricity and refrigeration, it defeats the purpose of developing something to use in a resource-limited setting, especially in tropical areas of the world, said Singamaneni. We wanted to make the test immune from variations in temperature and humidity.

The test takes advantage of a protein produced by the Zika virus that causes an immune response in infected individuals.

The protein is attached to tiny gold nanorods mounted on a piece of paper. The paper then is completely covered with tiny, protective nanocrystals. The nanocrystals allow the diagnostic nanorods to be shipped and stored without refrigeration prior to use.

To use the test, a technician rinses the paper with slightly acidic water, removing the protective crystals and exposing the protein mounted on the nanorods. Then, a drop of the patients blood is applied. If the patient has come into contact with the virus, the blood will contain immunoglobulins that react with the protein.

Nanorods are a type of nanoscale object. Each of their dimensions range from 1100 nm. The researchers estimate that the cost of the gold used in each test would be 10 to 15 cents.

Were taking advantage of the fact that patients mount an immune attack against this viral protein, said Morrissey. The immunoglobulins persist in the blood for a few months, and when they come into contact with the gold nanorods, the nanorods undergo a slight color change that can be detected with a hand-held spectrophotometer.

As other infectious diseases emerge around the world, similar ideas could potentially be used to create tests to detect the presence of viruses that may become problematic, the researchers suggest.

Top Image: Maurizio De Angelis, Wellcome Images

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New Rapid Zika Virus Blood Test Uses Nanotechnology - ReliaWire

MS in Molecular Medicine – Drexel University College of …

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The Master of Science in Molecular Medicine (MMED) program provides training in the academic, research and entrepreneurial aspects of the biomedical sciences with an emphasis on translational research in the development of therapeutics and vaccines.

Participation in the program will provide enhanced educational credentials through a flexible curriculum, with most classes offered in the early evening to maximize accessibility. Classes can be attended at two Drexel University College of Medicine locations: Center City and Queen Lane Campuses in Philadelphia. State-of-the-art videoconferencing provides real-time interactive learning at both locations.The program now can also be completed online, with all required courses and many elective courses available.

The Master of Science in Molecular Medicine program is designed to provide academic and practical biotechnological knowledge in translational research, particularly in the areas of molecular therapeutics and vaccine development.

If you prefer an online learning experience, you can still earn a Drexel master's degree in the field of molecular medicine. The online Master of Science in Molecular Medicine program features the same curriculum, flexibility, course content, and instructors as the traditional, face-to-face degree program.

Learn more about the online Master of Science in Molecular Medicine program!

In addition to broad geographic access, the curriculum provides flexibility in content and course load. Most students will complete the program in two years through completion of required courses and electives selected from two menus: research theory and laboratory research. The research experience can be in an academic environment or a company setting, as best fits the individual student's goals and interests.Some students may opt to complete the program on a part-time basis, taking up to four years. In either sequence, no dissertation is required. Program directors and course faculty will work closely with each student to best achieve his or her specific goals.

Learn more about the curriculum

The molecular medicine program is ideally suited for enhancing the scientific credentials of the following groups:

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MS in Molecular Medicine - Drexel University College of ...

The Human Heart May Have a Natural ‘Backup Battery’ – Healthline

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Researchers say they've found a system in the human heart that allows the organ to restart itself. Their discovery could lead to the replacement of pacemakers.

In an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Lt. Worf is badly injured, but recovers when it is discovered that his body holds a lot of redundant parts and organs for example, 23 ribs that allow him to regenerate.

Science fiction?

Not entirely.

A team of researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center discovered that the human heart contains its own fail-safe backup battery system to regulate the heartbeat.

Their findings were published in Science Translational Medicine.

If further testing is successful, fewer people might need mechanical pacemakers in the future.

The potential market is big.

More than 200,000 people in the United States have a pacemaker implanted every year.

The research is still preliminary, but scientists hope to turn it into practical use some day.

In the future we want to develop something that practitioners would welcome, Vadim Fedorov, PhD, an associate professor of physiology and cell biology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, told Healthline.

Fedorov explained that an implanted pacemaker works by replacing the hearts defective natural pacemaker functions.

The sinoatrial (SA) node, or sinus node, is the heart's natural pacemaker. It's a small mass of specialized cells in the top of the right atrium (upper chamber of the heart). It produces the electrical impulses that cause the heart to beat.

The heart is hardwired to maintain consistency. Irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia, can be due to heart disease or other problems, such as changes in diet or hormones or electrolyte imbalance.

Optical and molecular mapping of the human heart revealed that the SA node is home to multiple pacemakers, specialized cardiomyocytes that generate electrical heartbeat-inducing impulses.

Total cardiac arrest occurs only when all pacemakers and conduction pathways fail.

Too technical?

Think of it as a car battery. One day your car wont start. Turns out the battery is still good, but one of the connector cables is bad.

So you clean or replace the wire and save yourself from major repairs.

The Ohio State teams discovery showed that the human heart battery restarts itself.

To prove their point, the researchers actually restarted hearts that were destined for the trash heap.

Most of them came from people getting new hearts or accident victims whose hearts were not suitable for transplant.

We kept them in a special solution, he said. When we warm them to body temperature, they will beat.

The discovery, while exciting, is not going to change clinical practice in the next 60 days.

But it offers promise.

Dr. John Hummel, FACC, is a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and is director of the electrophysiology research section and professor of cardiovascular medicine.

He told Healthline the study is intriguing.

These findings finally give us insight as to the actual structure and behavior of the natural pacemaker of the human heart, he said. Diagnosing disease of the natural pacemaker is often straightforward, but can also be one of the more challenging diagnoses to make.

Dr. Fedorovs findings will likely allow us to develop new approaches to discriminate disease from normal behavior of the sinus node, and give our patients a definitive diagnosis of health or disease of the hearts natural pacemaker, Hummel explained.

Funding to translation of this bench research to clinic research is the next step, he added.

Dr. Gordon Tomaselli, professor of medicine, cellular and molecular medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and past president of the American Heart Association, expressed similar thoughts.

The work by Vadim Fedorovs group is a beautifully done study on explanted [not used for transplant] human hearts, Tomaselli told Healthline.

He called the infrared optical mapping studies with pharmacological interventions demonstrating the functional redundancy and complexity of the sinoatrial node (SAN) the most compelling part of the work.

Being able to view the hearts in three dimensions increases the researchs usefulness.

Tomaselli pointed out that researchers have known for decades from previous work in animals, and in clinical human electrophysiological labs, that SAN is functionally redundant and anatomically complex.

He urged caution.

I do not think this paper will fundamentally change the management of patients with regard to pacemaker implantation, he said. Although around half of pacemakers are implanted for diseases of the sinus node or atrium, they are implanted not to prolong life but instead to relieve symptoms [fatigue, shortness of breath particularly with exercise].

He went on, The more life-threatening problems with electrical conduction in the heart for which we put in pacemakers to prolong life involve the electrical system that connects the top and bottom chamber [called the AV node] and the conduction system in the lower chambers. This paper does not address this problem.

So, for the meantime, a Klingon skeleton might be your best bet.

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The Human Heart May Have a Natural 'Backup Battery' - Healthline

Healing turmeric set to woo world – The New Indian Express

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Prof Santosh Kumar Kar

BHUBANESWAR:A group of scientists claimed to have developed a medicine from turmeric which is beneficial for many diseases. Produced from nano curcumin, it can be used as anti-cancer, anti-TB and anti-malaria medicine.Lead researcher Prof Santosh Kumar Kar at KIIT University said though the medicine has not been applied on humans, it worked wonder on animals, including rats and dogs.Turmeric (Haldi) has been traditionally used in our food for centuries not only because it spices up our curries but because curcumin, the bioactive polyphenolic compound provides some therapeutic benefits. Researches show that curcumin is not only non-toxic, it can give us relief from pain and help in wound healing, reduce inflammation and tissue damage, he claimed.

As curcumin is very poorly soluble in water and whatever people eat in food goes into blood and shows very little effect, the scientists converted into a bio-available form and developed the nanotised form of pure curcumin to be taken orally for its therapeutic effectiveness.According to the researchers, the nano curcumin showed about five times better bio-availability than the natural curcumin. Its therapeutic efficacy has been tested in mice for various human disease conditions like malaria, cancer and tuberculosis. The bio-available curcumin, when fed to mice infected with the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii, the untreated mice died in a few days while the nano curcumin fed mice controlled the infection and survived, Prof Kar said.

Encouraged by the observation, the nano curcumin was tested in a mouse model of breast cancer in collaboration with Prof Gaurisankar Sa of Bose Institute at Kolkata. It was found to modulate T regulatory cell responses and was effective in controlling tumour growth in the mouse.Prof Gobardhan Das of Centre of Molecular Medicine in Jawaharlal Nehru University at New Delhi, who researched on a mouse affected with TB, said the use of nano curcumin in the mouse along with isoniasid not only reduced the time for cure by 50 per cent but the liver at the end of treatment remains intact, the mycobacteria does not show much latency and the immune system of the mice remains intact.

A similar research done under their supervision at the Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT by a team, led by Prof Jayakrishna Das, also showed remarkable effect on healing of critical wounds of dogs.Prof Kar said efforts are on to apply it on humans and introduce in the market as a food supplement if not possible as medicine immediately since it involves various administrative works.

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Healing turmeric set to woo world - The New Indian Express

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to … Interactive Biodegradable Funerary Urns? – NPR

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The Bios Urn mixes cremains with soil and seedlings. It automatically waters and cares for the memorial sapling, sending updates to a smartphone app. Bios Urn hide caption

The Bios Urn mixes cremains with soil and seedlings. It automatically waters and cares for the memorial sapling, sending updates to a smartphone app.

Earlier this summer, a modest little startup in Barcelona, Spain, unveiled its newest product a biodegradable, Internet-connected funeral urn that turns the ashes of departed loved ones into an indoor tree. Just mix the cremains with soil and seedlings, and the digital-age urn will automatically water and care for your memorial sapling, sending constant updates to an app on your smartphone.

At first glance, the concept seems gimmicky evidently, we're running out of ideas for smart appliances. But the Bios Incube system can also be seen as the latest example of a gradual transformation in modern culture.

Technology is fundamentally changing how we deal with death and its attendant issues of funerals, memorials and human remains. Much of this change is for the good. Some developments are a little spooky. But one thing is for sure: You can do a lot of cool things with ashes these days.

The Bios Incube system, which went on sale in June after a successful crowdfunding campaign, is the latest iteration of a much older idea in which ashes are essentially used as compost for a memorial tree or plant. But the Incube system adds some high-tech twists. The biodegradable urn is placed within a 5-gallon planter with an elegant, off-white, minimalist design vibe call it the iUrn.

Actually, that's the Incube. Fill it with water and an internal irrigation system kicks in while separate sensors monitor the progress of your plant, taking constant readings on temperature, humidity and soil conditions. This information is wirelessly beamed to the included smartphone app, allowing the bereaved user to better care for and nurture the seedling as it grows into a tree.

Roger Molin, co-founder of Bios Urn, says the company offers two versions of its system. One provides the basic biodegradable urn and planter at $145. The more expensive version if you want all the high-tech bells, whistles, atmosphere sensors and smartphone apps tops out at $695.

"Interestingly enough, we have found so far that most have opted voluntarily for the high-tech option," Molin says.

He has a theory on that.

"Most of us are connected to the digital world, and we have become used to it," he says. "Perhaps by tying together this process with technology, there can be a sense of comfort that comes from using a familiar process with a new experience. We hope that it will push people in a new direction and perhaps make this process easier for those experiencing loss."

The Bios Urn is part of a high-tech system in which the ashes of a departed loved one are used to help grow a tree. Bios Urn hide caption

The Bios Urn is part of a high-tech system in which the ashes of a departed loved one are used to help grow a tree.

The Bios Urn concept is indeed part of a larger transformation in which technology is changing how we think about death and dying, says Candi Cann, author of the book Virtual Afterlives: Grieving the Dead in the Twenty-first Century.

"Their approach implies a different sort of afterlife than the religious one an afterlife that theoretically we can partake in," says Cann, who teaches religion and world culture at Baylor University.

"Recent theories on mourning reveal that having continued bonds with the deceased allow us to navigate everyday life while renegotiating our relationships with loved ones who are no longer present," she says. "So in this way, the Bios Urn might actually foster a healthy type of mourning that allows us to look after the dead in an active, daily way."

Caring for the dead via a smartphone app may seem strange, Cann says, but it makes perfect sense for those of us living in a perpetually connected world: "The generation today has grown up with online spaces and smartphones, so this is their medium."

Cann has done extensive research on modern mourning rituals around the planet, and the various ways that technology is impacting how we deal with death and dying. The Internet has certainly changed the way we do things. Obituaries are posted online, funeral arrangements are sent by email or text, and social media platforms like Facebook now offer a range of memorial pages and legacy contact options.

In general, this is all good healthy progress, Cann says. "Smartphones and social media spaces have forced a decline in the importance of a controlled obituary narrative, as more people can contribute to the communal memory of a person and the meaning of their life," she says.

A recurring theme in Cann's work concerns an odd and abiding reticence in mainstream Western attitudes toward death: In short, we just don't like to talk about it. Our aversion leads to a lot of unhealthy sublimation in the culture. "I would argue that the reason we see so much death in the media and in video games is precisely because we are not having real conversations about death," Cann says.

Technology is helping in that arena, too. Cann points to online communities like Death Cafe, which use Internet forums to arrange local meetups for the recently bereaved.

Then there is the issue of what to do with the remains. We humans have been navigating this dilemma since the dawn of civilization, but recent technological advances have opened up some options. You can have ashes incorporated into jewelry, blended into oil paintings, mixed into tattoo ink, submerged into coral reefs or even pressed into vinyl records. And don't forget about the festive fireworks option.

While developing the Bios Urn system, Molin explored how other cultures are processing cremains, like Tokyo's unique Ruriden columbarium, which utilizes LED Buddha statues and digital smart cards.

The Ruriden columbarium houses futuristic alters with glass Buddha statues that correspond to drawers storing the ashes of the deceased. Chris McGrath/Getty Images hide caption

The Ruriden columbarium houses futuristic alters with glass Buddha statues that correspond to drawers storing the ashes of the deceased.

"I've seen some interesting things in China and Japan," he says. "Both have run of out burial space in larger cities and have created interesting ways of commemorating those who have passed."

Cann says that these new modern rituals, facilitated by various technologies, can help us get a little friendlier with death.

"In Brazil, I went to a public crematorium that cremates a body every 15 minutes, and is an actively used public park and picnic space," he says. "Families were playing and picnicking among the ashes. If we see deathscapes as friendly places, rather than where the dead are banished, we might be able to utilize them in healthier and more creative ways."

Looking to the future, however, Cann addresses more worrisome technologies.

"One of the areas I'm thinking more about is the use of artificial intelligence and digital avatars," Cann said. "These are people intending to upload themselves, via AI, into digital avatars."

Proponents of this idea contend that uploading the mind into a computer is entirely plausible. But science fiction has some cautionary tales in this area any technology that promises to defy death is usually nothing but trouble. Ask Dr. Frankenstein. Even speculating on this sci-fi scenario can get a bit dodgy, Cann says.

"Whenever people focus more on extending life rather than examining its quality, death loses its importance," Cann says. "If we are spending more time trying to deny death or prolong dying, then I think we are not living well."

In this light, the Bios Urn seems like a fairly gentle step forward. Technology can't yet provide us with digital immortality, but it can help us grow a memorial tree in our living room. What's not to like?

Glenn McDonald is a freelance writer, editor and game designer based in Chapel Hill, N.C. You can follow him @glennmcdonald1.

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Ashes to Ashes, Dust to ... Interactive Biodegradable Funerary Urns? - NPR

How to Improve Your Customer’s Experience at Your Workplace – Customer Think

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With such a competitive market in many industries these days, brands are looking for a way to reinvent themselves; to offer something different to their current client base with the same goal in mind: referrals.

Whats with referrals and how does impact our companys performance? Lets put it this way: Your e-store gets around 15-20 orders a day, and 2 of them happened to experience issues on the users end. You can say: well, its the clients fault for not reading carefully how the product is expected to be used, but also you can look at this from the customers side and help the user to solve the issue experienced, thus getting a thumbs-up in what Customer Service respects.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

The first answer to the scenario we showcased will undoubtedly lead to bad propaganda, as you simply dont care about what your clients do with your products as long as you get enough sales a day. And bad propaganda translates into lower sales, eventually to a business bankruptcy. However, if we choose the second approach, we will not only experience the customers gratitude but also good, free advertisement on how does our company responds to customers complaints. Thats the power of referrals.

Tactics to Improve Customers Experience

There are countless ways in which we can help our clients to feel more comfortable at the moment of acquiring our products or services. Depending on the style of business we have, then we can trace strategies that certainly will help our company to reach a broader audience in no-time.

For e-shops, its all about Customer Service. Since you dont have a physical place in which your clients can claim assistance, or even in some cases you dont count with the services of a phone line for which your clients could get assistance, then the best shot you got is to acquire the services of a Live Chat provider. There are multiple clients for these tools, as we can name TidioChat or Zopim; therefore, weigh pros and cons of each Live Chat client prior making your choice. The essential aspects you need to take into consideration are:

In case you have a physical office to sell your products or services, you need to work essentially on infrastructure and extra services that can sum up for the user satisfaction.

For starters, make your goal to build a cozy office: designers furniture, coffee machines available for clients without paying any extra fees and a television streaming music videos or news broadcast (for those cases in which clients need to wait a long time). Its also important to acknowledge potential issues that your office space may have, as is the case with low-signal coverage, as tends to happen in certain buildings or city areas far too crowded with antennas and overlapping Wi-Fi signals. Further information on this behalf can be studied in this infographic courtesy of ForRent.com

Our endgame in getting referrals is to boost sales, the prime goal of any company. However, to fully understand the impact that clients input can do for our business, it would be best to explain, in clear numbers, how good referrals can be a game changer.

Thanks to a study hosted by the communications marketing firm Edelman in 2014, we can assume that 68% of customers trust the reviews posted online, being 84% of those customers potential buyers due to the recommendations made at credible sources of information (i.e.: Amazon, PCMag, CNet, etc.). Therefore, how does a proper referral system works?

Start by building a name out of your brand: you can do this by getting review blog posts of the products you are offering to your clients at authority websites (or respected websites if you cannot reach an authority websites editor as your brand hasnt grown enough yet). That way, you are making a buzz about what your company provides, but that isnt enough to bring clients on its own.

Invest time and resources in hosting a place at your website where clients can upload their thoughts about your products/services as customer reviews. Visual aids also help, and many plugins on the market can offer these services without much hassle. Be sure also to give something back to encourage those reviews, like an exclusive product that cannot be acquired by any other mean, or a discount code for an upcoming order.

By putting these strategies into practice, you are not only growing your brands name but also giving something back to the community. Be creative, make a name out of yourself.

Good luck!

VikasAgrawal

Infobrandz

Vikas Agrawal is a start-up Investor and co-founder of the Infographic design agency Infobrandz.com, He is a highly influential research analyst and strategic marketing consultant. Vikas advises and plans the visual marketing campaigns of Medium to Large companies. Vikas has worked globally across multiple industries including retail, financial services, logistics, manufacturing, telecoms and pharmaceuticals deploying effective strategic marketing plans and methodologies. A renowned blogger on the subject of Technology, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

Current Author Rank: 41

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Dr. David Katz, Preventive Medicine: Saturated fat on trial – New Haven Register

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Dr. David Katz. (contributed photo)

Dr. David Katz. (contributed photo)

Dr. David Katz, Preventive Medicine: Saturated fat on trial

There is ever more virtual shouting about diet and health these days, much of it self-serving and little of it genuinely informative or helpful. The conflict is prominently, at present, between advocacy for plant-based eating and advocacy for meat and dairy; and between blaming either saturated fat or sugar for all our ills.

Personally, I think everyone loses in this scenario, with the obvious exception of nutritions answer to arms dealers, those creatures who thrive on mayhem and carnage: propagators of perennial doubt and discord about diet; deniers of the weight of evidence and global consensus; promoters of conspiracy theories; agents of foolishness and fanaticism, fads and false promises.

In response, my thoughts have turned to the remedy for such insoluble discord: a trial. I think there is a case to put both saturated fat and sugar on mock trial, and surmise our way to likely verdicts. The trial of sugar is scheduled for this courts next session. Today, saturated fat is on trial for crimes against humanity or, if you prefer, assault and battery of coronary arteries.

This could be a criminal trial, in which case a verdict requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Alternatively, it could be a civil trial, in which case the verdict is contingent on the preponderance of evidence, a lower bar to clear. Its a thought experiment; lets run both.

Complete disclosure about saturated fat by both sides in such a trial would reveal interesting things. A lot of facts would be presented, but there would be quite a bit of spin as well. When its all done, lets consider what the jurors know and what they dont.

They know for sure that saturated fat is associated with elevations in LDL cholesterol, and that those in turn are associated with increased heart disease. They know that diets higher in saturated fat sources tend to be associated with more disease and death than diets in which those calories are replaced by unsaturated fats, or whole grains. However, they also know that diets both higher and lower in saturated fat can apparently lead to the same, high rates of heart disease. They know that high saturated fat diets are associated with higher levels of good HDL cholesterol. They also know that not all saturated fatty acids are created equal and that summary judgment against the class may not be unjustified.

Jurors may be left with doubt about exactly what harms are directly attributable to saturated fat. No one, after all, eats saturated fat any more than most people eat sugar, although that is more plausible with sugar, as there are some candies made from nothing else. But thats a fine point. Mostly, people eat foods some of which contain saturated fat, sugar or both.

The foods that contain saturated fat contain other nutrients as well, notably animal protein in the most relevant (but obviously not all) cases. There are arguments that the apparent harms of saturated fat are really the harms of animal protein, and in the proceedings of this case, they have heard them. As they deliberate, they agree that the isolated effects of saturated fat on long-term health outcomes like vitality over a lifetime, and overall life expectancy, are practically unknowable. They are left with a reasonable doubt.

However, they are fully persuaded that diets high in the foods that are high in saturated fat are consistently and decisively disadvantageous to human health. They note in passing that they are comparably so, or more so, to the health of the planet but this particular question was not put on trial. The jury members are unanimous that it should be, before returning to the task of reaching a verdict.

In the criminal suit against saturated fat, a mistrial is declared due to a hung jury. The group could not agree that saturated fat, per se, was implicated in chronic disease and premature death beyond any reasonable doubt. In the civil trial, however, the verdict goes to the plaintiff, because the preponderance of evidence inveighs mightily against saturated fat and the company it keeps in diets. The defendant some medley of bacon, burgers and pepperoni goes bankrupt paying damages.

The jury members of these parallel trials get together right after to mingle over their kombuchas and agree that if the common food sources of saturated fat had been on trial, rather than saturated fat per se, they would have lost both trials. All go home comfortable with their decisions.

However, since everyone eats foods rather than nutrients, the jury members all go home wondering: why werent they asked better questions?

Dr. David L. Katz; http://www.davidkatzmd.com; founder, True Health Initiative

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Dr. David Katz, Preventive Medicine: Saturated fat on trial - New Haven Register

Liberty use 20-0 run in second quarter to turn back Sparks, 83-69 – Los Angeles Times

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Tina Charles scored 21 points and the New York Liberty used their biggest run of the season to defeat the Los Angeles Sparks 83-69 on Sunday for their third consecutive win.

Shavonte Zellous added 19 points and Epiphanny Prince 18 for the Liberty (15-12), who used a 20-0 run in the second quarter to lead 44-35 at the half.

Odyssey Sims had 18 points and Chelsea Gray 15 for the Sparks (19-8). Candace Parker added 14 points, 10 in the first quarter when Los Angeles hit its first six shots and 7 of 9 overall to take a 27-16 lead.

Kia Vaughn started the comeback with a layup and Prince hit a 3-pointer for a 34-33 lead. Neka Ogwumike's layup with 32 seconds left ended the Los Angeles drought.

The Liberty held the Sparks to eight points in the quarter, the best defensive quarter for New York and worse on offense for Los Angeles this season.

The Sparks got to within five points several times in the third quarter and trailed by six entering the fourth quarter, but never put together a challenge.

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Trevor Nailor is the 2017 Fauquier Times Liberty Boys Athlete of the Year – Fauquier Times

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Trevor Nailor shied away from contact during his freshman and sophomore football seasons.

With his sports background consisting largely of bowling, he felt more comfortable knocking down pins than players. But that changed as a Liberty junior. He grew bigger and stronger, and became more aggressive.

So, as a senior safety, he was better at filling the lanes in Liberty's defensive line than those in the bowling alley.

Nailor emerged as a stout run-stopper despite his undersized 155-pound frame, and he finished as the Eagles' leading tackler last fall. That performance, and his prowess on the lacrosse field, helped make Nailor the 2017 Fauquier Times Liberty Boys Athlete of the Year.

It's a credit to him and his hard work ethic, Eagles football coach Sean Finnerty said. He worked until he's doing something I don't think anybody thought he was capable of when he was younger.

Never the biggest guy, Nailor didn't play football or lacrosse until he entered high school. Bowling, on the other hand, entered his life at age 5.

It was the family sport. His parents, Patti and Keith, met at a bowling alley and later ran the Quantico Youth Bowling League for nearly a decade. Trevor Nailor's league team often won, but he eventually stopped bowling competitively as high school neared.

In eighth grade, he tried baseball but didn't enjoy it. He also dabbled in track and field by competing in the Fauquier County middle school championships.

Trevor was one of the fastest kids in the county in seventh and eighth grade, Nailor's mother said. He was always fast.

He has an athletic ability to him, she said. Whatever he's tried, he's done well. I think it's just natural for him.

But Nailor didn't enjoy running competitively. He joined Liberty's winter track team as a freshman only to leave the team after a few weeks. He did the same again as a senior, but his endurance still proved helpful as a football and lacrosse player, especially as a midfielder in the latter sport.

I run really long distances without getting tired, Nailor said. It's [helpful] being able to get in the game whenever I need to.

Play it, safety

Liberty's football coaches have a plus-two motto that Trevor Nailor eagerly adopted.

So 20-yard sprints turned into 22-yarders for him.

He would always be that kid, Sean Finnerty said. He would always go plus-two.

He was our hardest worker, the coach said. No one equaled his work ethic.

That was a constant throughout Nailor's four years with Liberty, but it wasn't quite enough for him to crack the starting lineup until his senior season.

He always was one of the smaller kids, Finnerty said. It took time for him to kind of mature and develop.

He just finally caught up. He got big enough and strong enough, Finnerty said. He's just one of those kids that kept working and made it a goal to be a starter.

Nailor was listed at 5-foot-9, 155 pounds as a senior.

During Nailor's first three seasons, he learned from film study and playing on the scout team.

He did all the little things that you want from a kid, Finnerty said. Became an extremely smart football player.

Regardless, Nailor was still undersized as a senior safety. He sought contact, nonetheless.

He did not worry about his body, Finnerty said. Coming up to make tackles, he didn't care how big that guy was he was tackling. That kind of makes you a good tackler.

Nailor finished his senior season with more than 80 tackles, which led the Eagles.

Trevor's small, but he just works harder, Nailor's mother said. You can't tell him, 'You can't do' something, because he's going to do it.

That's a quality that eventually forced Finnerty to put Nailor in the starting lineup.

He was very good at playing near the line of scrimmage, the coach said. He never had any issues diving in there.

One of those kids who would just take on the biggest kid on the field, Finnerty said. He might get knocked down especially hard, but he'd be the first one up every time.

So Nailor made the all-Conference 22 second team as a defensive back.

His Eagles finished the 2016 season with only a 4-10 record. It was their first sub-.500 record since going 2-7 in 1999, but they still won the regular-season finale Bird Bowl against county rival Fauquier for the 14th consecutive season.

Liberty's defense recovered a fumble with 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to set up its offense for an 86-yard, nine-play touchdown drive that gave the Eagles a 29-28 victory.

I'm not really the best safety out there, Nailor said. One of the plays, I was supposed to be guarding my zone and they ended up getting a touchdown.

I messed up in that game, he said, so winning that trophy again was amazing.

Nailed it

As a senior, Trevor Nailor became a full-time starter for Liberty's boys lacrosse team.

That coincided with the Eagles' best season in more than a decade.

Liberty posted a 5-9 record to tie for the program's most wins since at least 2005 and finish with a better winning percentage than the 2012 Liberty team that went 5-10.

We had really good teamwork and we were really fitting together, Nailor said. This year the seniors helped everybody. There was a lot of leadership.

During Nailor's previous three seasons, the Eagles amassed a 2-37 record. Yet they started 2017 on a 3-2 run, including an early win over James Monroe, 10-8.

Playing that close game ... really helped us, Nailor said. And Gar-Field in the scrimmage. That really helped us boost our confidence. We beat them by a lot and that hyped everybody up.

The Eagles ended up scoring 88 goals in 2017 after producing only 32 last season en route to a 1-11 record. Nailor nearly matched that 2016 total by himself this past spring.

He led Liberty with 31 goals on 96 shots as a senior.

Good motor, good speed and a determination to find the cage, Eagles coach Michael Gesiotto said. Better ball movement and spacing creates opportunity for good scorers.

Also helping were Nailors increased lacrosse IQ [and the] evolution of our offense, Gesiotto said.

The midfielder finished with 12 assists, 35 ground balls and 13 solo clears, which helped him earn a spot on the all-Conference 22 second team.

Nailor, who hopes to next play lacrosse at Northern Virginia Community College, also emerged as a Liberty leader during his senior season. As a captain, he became a sort of on-field offensive coordinator, Nailor said.

Heart of the team, Gesiotto said. Led by example.

He was a gamer, the coach said. No matter the circumstances he kept pushing, playing and encouraging his teammates.

Nailor may have developed that attitude inside his Goldvein home, which can be a busy place at times.

We're foster parents, Nailors mother, Patti, said of herself and her husband, Keith. We always have different children in our home and it's always possible to have more at any moment.

He just kind of goes with the flow, she said of her 18-year-old son. He's really good with them, helping to show them the ropes.

Nailor has a pair of adopted 4-year-old siblings in Ryder and Lily. One of his fathers high school friends, Krystle, also lives with the family. They have shared their home with the 31-year-old for Trevor Nailors entire life, since she fell on hard times at age 11.

Nailor also has pair of 21-year-old twin brothers, Kevin and Matt. So there was plenty of competition for attention in his household, but he adapted fine.

Trev's an all-around good kid, Nailors mother said. He's very personable. ... Just a pleasant young man.

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Trevor Nailor is the 2017 Fauquier Times Liberty Boys Athlete of the Year - Fauquier Times